Ferrari isn’t so much an automaker as a hedge fund guaranteeing absurd returns. The 2019 488 Pista—the name means “track” in Italian—is Maranello’s most extreme V-8 supercar to date, and it very well may be the safest way for your bank account to experience 211 mph. READ MORE ››

Engineering timelines are longer than those of media scandals, which has given Honda a predicament with its all-new i-DTEC diesel engine. The company’s decision to develop a next-generation ultra-clean turbo-diesel was made well before Volkswagen was caught getting its cheat on, but the finished 1.6-liter inline-four reviewed here in the Honda Civic is reaching its target market in Europe just as demand slumps for compression-ignition engines, thanks in large part to the Dieselgate scandal. READ MORE ››

Carpooling has historically been a hard sell to commuters. Whether it’s the convenience of driving themselves or the lure of cheap gasoline, the percentage of Americans who share rides to work peaked at 19.7 percent in 1980 and has fallen by more than half over the past three decades. But with more people rethinking the way they get around amid an influx of new app-based transportation options, one global automotive supplier is banking on carpooling making a comeback.

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Bosch announced Tuesday it has acquired Splitting Fares, a Detroit startup that provides a software platform through which companies can offer carpooling options to their employees. Bosch recently created a new division, Connected Mobility Services, and its new acquisition will function as an independent subsidiary within that unit.

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While the likes of Uber and Lyft already deliver ride sharing for the masses, Splitting Fares, better known as SPLT, has essentially carved a niche within ride sharing. It sells its platforms specifically to business and others, such as universities, who want to set up shared transportation for their employees and students. Carpooling rides can be set up as one-time occurrences or as recurring trips.

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Using an app, workers can connect with others in their organizations who share similar commutes. Then an algorithm computes their fastest route to the office. Bookings can be made both in advance or on demand. With service operational in the United States, Germany, and Mexico, SPLT says it already has approximately 140,000 users. New markets are planned as part of the Bosch deal, although there are no specifics yet available.

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Bosch says the number of people worldwide using-ride-sharing services is expected to grow by 60 percent-to 685 million.–

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Like Uber and Lyft, SPLT doesn’t own vehicles that operate within its network—those details are entirely up to customers. Large companies might hire drivers and run their own vehicles on dedicated routes, while employees at smaller businesses could essentially operate as ride-sharing drivers, using their own cars to haul their colleagues to work while earning back some of their commuting costs.

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Ford has started similar services with its Chariot shuttle subsidiary, which works with businesses to establish routes that help employees get to and from transportation hubs to their places of employment. Chariot lets employers determine those routes and gives them an option to open the service to the general public to help defray the costs of running the service, a blurring of sorts between the business-to-business and business-to-consumer models. For now, SPLT is sticking to the former.

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While SPLT got its start as part of the Techstars Mobility startup incubator in Detroit in 2015, Bosch has long been among the auto industry leaders in developing autonomous- and connected-car technology. A recent report from Navigant Research ranked the company’s collaboration with Daimler on automated driving systems as the third best among the 19 companies pursuing such technology.

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The acquisition of SPLT gives Bosch a foothold in the connected-mobility realm. “Smartphones are becoming the most important means of travel,” says Markus Heyn, a member of the company’s board of management.

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He projects double-digit growth, especially as the company adds new markets. In some respects, it’s easy to see why. By 2020, Bosch says the number of people worldwide using ride-sharing services is expected to grow by 60 percent, to 685 million. That increase comes at a time when the number of commuters is climbing, and, as a result, traffic congestion is also rising.

In Germany, roughly two-thirds of the working population chooses the car for daily commuting, according to the German Federal Statistical Office. In the United States, 76.3 percent of commuters say they drove alone to work in 2016, according data from the American Community Survey, a part of the U.S. Census, while 9.3 percent carpool. That’s largely in line with 2013 results from the same survey.

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With the proliferation of smartphones and now ride-sharing options, Bosch, through its SPLT subsidiary, is betting it can begin to reverse what has been a very stubborn trend.

There was little surprise at the recent news that Porsche had axed its last remaining diesel vehicles in Europe, with the diesel versions of the Macan and Panamera being withdrawn from sale. It was a move in keeping with the tide of history; the Dieselgate scandal has affected sales of compression-ignition engines on both sides of the Atlantic, and Porsche’s adoption of the technology came more from market pressure than from any great enthusiasm for it.

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Yet, it seems, those reports were wrong—or at least premature. Porsche in Great Britain, the source of the original report, has released a clarifying statement that it is still planning a diesel version of the new Cayenne.

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“Currently, the demand for diesel models is falling, whereas interest in [gasoline] and hybrid models is increasing significantly,” the company’s statement said. “In light of these facts, Porsche has adapted its product planning. This decision means that Porsche currently does not offer any vehicles with diesel engines. However, it does not mean a diesel exit at Porsche. As announced, the new Cayenne is set to feature a diesel powertrain. The exact time of the market launch is not yet clear.”

Which is good news for Europe’s lovers of frugal luxury SUVs but of little direct bearing to those of us on the other side of the Atlantic. The Volkswagen Group has already said it won’t be bringing any of its diesel engines back to the States, and Porsche exclusively uses VW-sourced diesel powerplants.

Rolls-Royce, in a bid to keep anticipation for its upcoming Cullinan simmering, has chosen to show the rig’s tailgate seats. It’s an odd feature to highlight from the first-ever Rolls-Royce SUV, but just look at those perches! They deploy on their own from the Cullinan’s cargo area—the Cull’ has yet to debut, hence why it’s darkened out of the photo—and appear to be the perfect place from which to watch income disparity grow.–

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Shaped vaguely like a pair of ye olde Apple iBook laptops, the seats make up what Rolls-Royce calls the “Cullinan Viewing Suite.” A small table rests between them, and of course fine leather covers their shells. Suggested uses include taking in “the world’s most breathtaking vistas” or, for when owners feel like mingling amongst the normals, “a sports event.” Polo, perhaps?

While the idea of built-in lawn chairs seems novel, other fancy-schmancy SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga and Land Rover’s top-flight Range Rover already offer the feature. But we suspect none of those can match Rolls-Royce’s ability to make everyone at your destination question their life choices.

-Volvo’s lineup transformation continues. One by one, the Chinese-owned Swedish automaker has been overhauling its vehicles with a new exterior design language, a rethought interior control layout, and new modular platforms. The 2019 Volvo V60 is the latest model to make its global debut, having moved to Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) and gaining miniature-V90 curb appeal, multiple four-cylinder powertrains, and the high level of safety features we’ve come to expect from Volvo. READ MORE ››